Petunias not growing

[Good Guy]

Hi Venuspop,
Long time didn't hear from you.

Just to let you know that I have not been successful propagating the petunias either from cuttings or even from seeds. Those commercial planters must have some secrets in the fertilizers. No matter how much I put the fertilizer, they just refused to grow. I have decided to "close shop" and to go back with the hardy leafy plants for my hanging pots.


Justin Choo

Reply from Venuspop:
No reasons why you can't propagate the petunias, Justin. I managed to propagate mine and gave quite a lot away. I gave up because I got sick of it.

How often do you fertilize and how much do you fertilize each time?
What type of soil do you use?

How many times do you water a day?

Where did you place the cuttings and seedlings? (In the shade or out in full sunshine?)

Why not share your experience/disappointments at the gardening thread?
Never know. You might get some good advice from the others.

*******************************

Wah! So many questions from venuspop.

Special soil bought from garden centre. Water once a day. For matured plants, a tablespoon fertilizer, maybe once fortnight. Seedlings, I thought we are not supposed to put fertilzer. Seedlings under shade.

[Dervish]

Good Morning Good Guy!

Hopefully, some petunia experts reading this thread can come forward with their advice. For now, here's my take:

Soil	I first got interested in petunias some 12 years ago. The soil I used wasn't anything special. Just the red clay burnt soil from the nursery.
Watering	depends on the season. Twice during the hot season and once during the wet season.
Fertilization	I also fertilize once a fortnight and each time, a teaspoon instead of your tablespoon. Note: The fertilizer used by the nursery are time-release beads which usually lasts for about 6 months. Perhaps you over-fertilized?
Cuttings	Snip off a stem from a petunia plant. Be sure to cut under a leaf joint (node), and ensure that there are at least 3 leaf joints on the stem. Snip off the lower leaves on the cuttings. Also remove any flowers since you want the cuttings to focus their energy on growing roots first. Water generously and place it in the shade.

That's all I did. They propagate well. Hope this helps.

[Good Guy]

Thanks Venuspop. Maybe I try again and get the cutting right.

[Dervish]

Thanks Venuspop. Maybe I try again and get the cutting right.

Good Luck, Good Guy!

[Justme123]

After I read this article, I contacted Vithi and took some tips
from him.
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.as...02&sec=central
Note some tips therein.

There are a lot of types of petunias.
If you grow from cutting, it depends on the type of stems.
The ones with very thin hard stems are very difficult to propogate.

As for seeds, Vithi methods are very effective.

I managed to grow some very nice petunias.
They are very decorative flowers and very nice if you have 10 pots of them hanging around the house.
The problem is, it was very tedious.
When the front of the house is sunny, and the plant is very bushy and has a lot of flowers, I had to water 3 times a day.
One also need a special watering-can to do the watering slowly.
Dare not ask the maid cos' she'll splashed out all the soil using the hose.
There is also a lot of trimming to do.
I have now given up growing petunias. Maybe in the future.

One thing I discovered about petunias is;
My pots of petunias lasted for more than 6 months.
The petunia give out some very nice fragrant around evening, but when it is old and
get wet from the rain, the fragrant is that of smelly socks!
The whole house can stink of that.

[RolyPoly]

I have not been successful with growing Petunias too. I love the blooms and as Justme123 said, they are beautiful decorative flowers and really look good when hung in a row. They need watering everyday and that means when I am out of town, the plants would succumb to dehydration and died off.

Reading the article about Vithi, my interest in Petunias is triggered again. I have seen Petunias seeds being sold at Ace Hardware. Has anyone tried those seeds? Would they germinate? I am asking coz I have tried some flower seeds bought there but they failed to germinate for me.

Venuspop, is it ok for you to take a photo of your time-released bead fertilizer? I have read about slow-released fertilizer but I have not seen them. Is it the same as yours?

[Good Guy]

Yes, I notice that petunias last a long time. I have given up on propagating. Next time when I want to impress my neighbours, I ust go buy 5 pots with all the blooms and colour! It is cheaper this way and save time too.

[Dervish]

I have not been successful with growing Petunias too. I love the blooms and as Justme123 said, they are beautiful decorative flowers and really look good when hung in a row. They need watering everyday and that means when I am out of town, the plants would succumb to dehydration and died off.

Yes. They looked rather pretty when there's lots of them. I don't hang mine though. I plant them in a long flowerbed (trough) and place them outside the windows, where they attract lots of attention.

Venuspop, is it ok for you to take a photo of your time-released bead fertilizer? I have read about slow-released fertilizer but I have not seen them.

Here they are, RP. I first discovered these back in 2000 after removing the root of a dead petunia I bought from the nursery. They absorbed water and grew rather large. I thought they were some insect's eggs so I smashed and cut them up. I wouldn't do that if I were you. You can still get them these days from any nurseries.

[Dervish]

Yes, I notice that petunias last a long time. I have given up on propagating. Next time when I want to impress my neighbours, I ust go buy 5 pots with all the blooms and colour! It is cheaper this way and save time too.

Trouble with petunia is that you always have to keep propagating them. It gets tiresome after some time.

Azaleas, on the other hand is hassle free. All you need to do is to occasionally comb the plant for diseases. There is no necessity to propagate and the plants bloom all year round. Mine had been with me for years and they're still blooming ... not as prolifically as those in the nurseries though.

[Good Guy]

Venuspop,

Can you take some photos of azaleas to show us again please?

[Dervish]

Venuspop,

Can you take some photos of azaleas to show us again please?

Pleasure!

These pictures are taken this morning.



Some buds coming up from another pot.



More photos here:
I have a total of 14 pots of azaleas. (counted this morning.) Of the 14, only 6 had blooms this morning.

http://www.usj.com.my/bulletin/uploa...707#post537707

[Justme123]

Nice azaleas.
Where to buy?

[Good Guy]

I also googled images. They come in different shapes. Don't seem to have a standard shape. Looks confusing, unless I can actually see them.

[Dervish]

Nice azaleas.
Where to buy?

You can get them from most nurseries. Note however, that these are broadly categorized into those imported from China and those from Belgium.

The China variety is cheaper but usually single petaled. The plant is bigger and usually one pot consist of only one plant.

The Belgium variety had thicker petals and are usually double petaled, the flowers are larger and a pot may consist of three to four smaller plants. (Some of them crammed 4 into 1 pot and when it blooms, the sight is intoxicating! - see picture below)

Best time to buy? About two weeks before CNY. Sg Buloh. Lots of choice.

[Dervish]

I also googled images. They come in different shapes. Don't seem to have a standard shape. Looks confusing, unless I can actually see them.

Yes, those are different hybrids. Just like petunias too have different hybrids. At the peak of its popularity a couple of years ago, there were maroon and purple ones too. Those however, do not thrive very well in our climate, from my observation. The only ones who did well are the dark red and pink ones. The pink ones (can't remember what it's called ... Robin ..something) is the original variety. Oh, and the peachy ones did rather well too.

The Japanese azaleas are even crafted into bonsais. Saw them last year. Pricey!

BTW what happened to your fuchsia?